A normal user's look into the world of 3D Stereo Technologies

I’ve finally received my order of GoPro 3D Hero plus the two GoPro HD Hero2 cameras and everything is ready and setup to start testing the system as well as to do some experimenting and of course to shoot some nice stereo 3D footage with it. Just a reminder, when using the GoPro 3D Hero you are getting 35mm fixed interaxial distance, but you can use some DIY magic to modify it to allow adjustable interaxial. I’ll be doing that soon, but I need to get another GoPro 3D Hero adapter for that as the electronics in the kit need to be modified as well…

The orange adapter that connects both cameras in order to synchronize them comes with a very short cable that is only suitable for use with the small 35mm interaxial setup that the 3D Hero is originally intended for. You can however solder a longer cable for a modified version with a variable interaxial distance that will also be using two separate cases for the cameras instead of the one provided with the 3D Hero. I’ll be getting into more detail about that very soon, as well as into experimenting in adding another slave camera in order to get a three camera setup with the idea to maybe further extend this into an array of cameras.

GoPro announced the release of its new HD HERO2 portable action camera that builds on top of the very successfull HD HERO camera by adding new features and further improving the image quality. The new HD HERO 2 camera comes with a faster processor, 11 megapixel sensor (for taking 11 Mp still photos) with supposedly improved performance in low light, a redesigned wide-angle glass lens for better details and support for the upcoming GoPro Wi-Fi BacPac and Wi-Fi Remote products that should allow for a better remote control from a wider range of devices and video streaming. With the new HD HERO2 you should be able to capture up to ten 11 megapixel photos in a one second burst mode or use the camera to take automatic time-lapse photos with quick .5 second timing between each shot. The HD HERO2 also features a totally new, straightforward language-based user interface to greatly improve the ease of use of the device. The new HD HERO2 camera supports the following video recording modes: 120 fps WVGA, 60 fps 720p, 48 fps 960p, 30 fps 1080p, but unfortunately there is no 24p.

And here comes the most interesting question, will you be able to use a pair of the new GoPro HD HERO2 cameras together with the 3D HERO system for recording stereoscopic 3D footage? The short answer is not yet. However it will be shortly made compatible with with GoPro’s 3D HERO system with a firmware update, so stay tuned and ger ready to upgrade your portable stereo 3D video rig using GoPro HD HERO2 cameras.

The HD HERO2 sells in three bundled-accessory configurations, each containing the necessary mounts for particular genres of use or activity. These are: HD HERO2 Outdoor Edition, HD HERO2 Motorsports Edition and HD HERO2 Surf Edition all of which are with a price of $299.99 USD. The original 1080p HD HERO camera is now available for MSRP $199.99 – $239.99 USD (previously $259.99 – $299.99).